'As announced by the Qatari authorities, it will deploy four planes in the zone to be able to take part in the operations, which is another sign of Arab participation in this international operation to protect civilians,' Laurent Teisseire told reporters on Sunday.
A second official said the Qatari planes should arrive soon, although did not say where they would operate from. French air forces would work closely with the Qataris, Teisseire added.
According to the Qatar Emiri Air Force website, Qatar’s current fleet of 12 Dassault Mirage 2000-5DAs (9 Single Seat Mirage 2000-5EDAs and three two-seat Mirage 2000-5DDAs) are comparatively new, having been delivered as recently as 1997, and are unlikely to require upgrade in the immediate future. This fleet is more than adequate for air defense of this small gulf state which can be armed with Magic 2 and MICA air-air missiles.
Mirage 2000-5 is the latest of the Mirage 2000 family, and incorporates advanced avionics, new multiple-target air-to-ground and air-to-air firing procedures using the RDY radar, and new sensor and control systems. Mirage 2000-5 is available as a single-seater or two-seater multi-role fighter. The aircraft has hands-on throttle and stick (HOTAS) control. Mirage 2000-5 incorporates the Thales VEH 3020 head-up display and five cathode ray tube multifunction advanced pilot systems interface (APSI) displays.
Sources: Reuters; Qatar Emiri Air Force
